Your opinion please!

[admin]

I have for the last 7 or 8 yeras told my LOI Brethren that having the bookopen at LOI stops you from learning. They disagreed with me. I let them get on with it I am not preceptor any more.

Would anyone like to visit and tellme if I was right or wrong. Last meeting I had to prompt on the opening about 6 times.

I have witnessed my Masters reading from the book far to often now. I now do not really want to go to Lodge meetings , it is just not interesting.

In the end it is the proof of the pudding is in the eating if you can makeit work fine, my experience is that it does not.

When I ask why they havetrouble learning, the younger members tell me they dont have as much time afterwork as I did.

Perhaps they do not know I worked 7 days a week for 9 years with no day off. But they are only young poor things.

[Janner]

I also vote for memory, ban books in LOI and lodge. The only one with a book should be the IPM or an other designated prompter.

[farmerdan]

The only time I would agree with having the book open is for the WM during the obligation because I feel it is essential that that is word perfect. It also gets confusing for the candidate if he repeats what the WM says and then has to repeat the correction. They end up not having any idea what they have just sworn to. Of course, if the WM has memorised it then so much the better.

[Peter Taylor]

I visted a Lodge in our Province on Monday this week to witness a 3rd degree. This Lodge has a LOI every week. They have more than one book open during the Ceremony and there were umpteen prompts.
My Lodge has no official written Ritual. We doon't have any LOIs. We NEVER have had a book open during any Ceremony, (aoart from one occassion during the LRUK meet up). We had a similar 3rd degree the previous Thursday and no prompts... why is that I wonder?

[bboy]

We dont really have a LOI but we do have rehearsals. We have two rehearsal for each degree at the start of the year, January and February. All ritual has to be dome from memory and secy is the only person who has a book in front of him.

I have seen too many people reading from promt sheets. This makes them too reliant on these sheets and as a result stop to look at the writing, pause too long trying to find their place and ultimately puts them off more.

Also, having a good DoC can make people relax too much and feel that they'll be fine cause the DoC can give them a prompt when they need it.

[JOHN PARROTT]

I don't see why people can't have a book to refer to if they need it at LOI's or rehearsals - the purpose is to learn and practice the ritual and build up the confidence of junior brethren - if everyone was word perfect and didn't need the book what would the point of the LOI be ? it would have lost its raison d`etre.

For me its a way of ironing out any errors and gives me confidence ritual wise going into the lodge meeting where i don't use the book.

[bboy]

I dissagree! The purpose of a LOI, or a rehearsal as we have, is to get a feel for the floor work, where to stand and when to move. The ritual should be learned out with these meetings and in preparation for them.

They're a waste of time if no-one has learned the ritual! I have witnessed this and it wastes everyones time.

[Chestnut]

Firstly on the learning of the ritual.

It is part of the discipline of FM and the discipline for those who wish to attain the Chair of KS. If we were Operative Masons the Brother who became Master would have to be skilled and practiced of all the elements which he is asking his Brothers to do. Is this any different today. The Brother who wishes to attain the Chair must be sklled in the workings, ritual and its understanding. It may be that some may not wish or be able to attain such heights. It should not be given by right.

Secondly Learning the Ritual.

Everyone belives on first viewing that they will not achieve such levels of retention. We all look for the magic bullet to speed learning. But we all discover as those before and after thats its about setting aside time and memorising it. Nothing more or less. We learn it for a reason. We have also at some point in our lives learnt something, reading and writing for one. So we all have the capacity to learn. If we tell ourselves we can't or we can, we are correct. Were all busy but have managed to do it. Shut up and get on with it if you want to be Master. If you dont want to learn it, then you wont be Master.

Thirdly Book open in a meeting.

This seems to have become the norm in some of the side orders and I have noted this in Craft!! We tried this for a very valid reason in Chapter. Attendance went down, enjoyment wained and as such we have just managed to salvage it by stopping the practice. How can any Brother who attains PM but who has read the ritual honestly look at a PM who has learnt the ritual and delivered it, maybe not perfectly, but made the effort, in the eye and say they are equal? They are not, one has my full respect, the other for me has none.

Fourthly Book open at LoI.

The only book open in LoI should be the Preceptor to give accurate prompts. A Brother in Office should have learnt or at least looked at the book in the days prior. It should not be the first time at the LoI. Alternatively you could have a read through with all books open to familiarise the working Officer for a meeting. However at some point the books are closed and you do it from memory. If you always know someone will give you the prompt, what is the insentive to learn it properly.

FM on a National, local and Lodge level are often failing their members by condoning the relaxation of standards which have stood for centuries concerning the ritual. Indeed many of those who have passed through the chair in the last 15 - 20 years have little understanding of the ritual, its meaning or the teachings of FM. But they are fully conversant with the steps to achieving bright shiny badges!

The role of LoI is to instruct, not just to rehearse. If you can make Brethren understand why they are doing something and how that fits in, there is a better chance on them doing it.

[Peter Moir]

As Peter Taylor has mentioned, we never have books out in Lodge or Chapter. As far as Brethren not having time to memorise ritual is to me a disgraceful excuse.
How about this list of degrees worked in my Lodge in the past couple of months.
Thursday 13th January 2nd Degree
Thursday 20th January 3rd Degree
Thursday 27th January 1st Degree
Thursday 3rd February RA degree
Thursday 10th February 1st Degree
Thursday 17th February 3rd Degree
Thursday 24th February 2nd Degree
Thursday 3rd March EM Degree
Thursday 10th March 2nd Degree
Thursday 17th March 3rd Degree
Thursday 24th March 3rd Degree
Thursday 31st March Mark Degree
All these ceremonies carried out to the full without a book in site and virtually without a prompt, perhaps some Brethren would wilt under the pressure of such a programme but I praise our members for being able to step up to the plate and perform such work. You probably think I'm being biased and you are right. Maybe it is the case that Brethren should just knuckle down and be preparred for some hard work. Are those who need books only working four or five times per YEAR?
Get a grip!

[Chestnut]

Are those who need books only working four or five times per YEAR?
Get a grip!

Classic. Have to agree.

[Raggedstaff]

Are those who need books only working four or five times per YEAR?
Get a grip!

Classic. Have to agree.

My lodge meets five times a year and in my short time ( a year exactly) I have never seen a book used. The frequency of meetings has nothing to do with the quality of the ritual.

[Chestnut]

Are those who need books only working four or five times per YEAR?
Get a grip!

Classic. Have to agree.

My lodge meets five times a year and in my short time ( a year exactly) I have never seen a book used. The frequency of meetings has nothing to do with the quality of the ritual.

The point being made here is that the fewer the meetings the more time you have to memorise and practice. Thus there is an impact on the quality.

[bboy]

I was going to replay similarly. The good thing about meeting more regularly is that we get to work through the ritual and positions more, thus making the OB's more familiar with their office and giving them more confidence. I realise that LOI's do this too.

[Raggedstaff]

Really? The point was that the less you actually do something the better at it you can expect to be?

Seems a little unlikely to me. It certainly doesn't hold true for any other form of memorisation/performance I've come across.

[BigI]

Lets not forget that some lodges don't have L of I's,one size doesn't fit all.

[Chestnut]

Really? The point was that the less you actually do something the better at it you can expect to be?

Seems a little unlikely to me. It certainly doesn't hold true for any other form of memorisation/performance I've come across.

Ok try this.

5 meetings a year one an installation. The time between meetings can be planned far in advance for learning and practicing plus plenty of LoI's where you can make mistakes.

Does performance increase by more live performances or by plenty of practice and rehearsal?

[Chestnut]

Lets not forget that some lodges don't have L of I's,one size doesn't fit all.

Some Lodges may not. Bt a gaurantee that there will be a Lodge local to those members who will be more than happy to allow a Brother to join and take part.

If you want to practice the work, you will find a way.

[bboy]

If a lodge meets every two weeks and works 1st, 2nd and 3rd then it only leaves a short timr to learn the ritual for each degree. I you meet 5 times a year you have more time to focus on the ritual for each degree.

[Patz]

No books at all, otherwise the ritual would not be inculcated...means learned by repetition

[asabovesobelow]

Rote.